Cardiac Angiography Suite

Our patients are admitted for the procedures carried out in angiography and pacing, transoesophageal echo-cardiography (TOE), in which the patient swallows a transducer inside a flexible tube which is guided into the oesophagus, and elective cardioversion.

We admit people from home and also from neighbouring district general hospitals as transfers. These patients are usually returned to their original hospital the same day.

In August 2009 one of our patients wrote:

'Having just had a heart ablation at the John Radcliffe Hospital I would just like to say that the treatment that I had from everyone was wonderful. I could not have had a better service anywhere else in the world. Thank you all very much.'

Coming to the Cardiac Angiography Suite

You will be asked to attend a pre-admission clinic (PAC) prior to treatment. These clinics are held daily.

At the clinic you will see a doctor and have various tests, such as electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood tests. You will be given information about the procedure and admission, and you will then be given a date for the procedure. The admission process lasts less than an hour.

The cardioversion procedure itself is performed by an experienced nurse with an anaesthetist in attendance.

When you have been treated in the unit you will be discharged home the same day. We have procedures to ensure that you are safe, such as making sure you have someone to drive you home and stay in the house with you overnight.

You will be given discharge advice by nursing staff, which will cover both wound care and general health information, and also an information leaflet.

There is also a nurse-led Cardioversion Clinic on Thursdays, for patients with atrial flutter/fibrillation.

Angiography and pacing

Angiography is a type of X-ray examination that creates detailed images of the arteries and the blood flow inside them. It involves injecting a special dye, called contrast medium, into the arteries. Abnormalities then show up on the resulting image, called an angiogram.

radio frequency ablation, a procedure where catheters are placed inside the heart and a map of electrical activity is charted. When the source of an abnormality is found, high-energy radio waves are used to remove the tissue